Redfall isn’t abandoning the spirit of Arkane’s unique approach to immersive shooters

Redfall isn’t abandoning the spirit of Arkane’s unique approach to immersive shooters

Redfall kicked off the Xbox and Bethesda Games E3 2022 showcase with a bang. The first Redfall gameplay opened with an abandoned church. Signs of a struggle. Blood spatter on the walls. A narrow attic space. And then, boom, a vampire ambush. One, then two, then three. Jump attacks with swiping claws follow, then ghastly moans and gunfire and frantic reload animations and running. Lots and lots of running. This place, the eponymous Redfall, an island town off the coast of Massachusetts, New England, is, in a word, screwed. Overrun with scores of angry neck-biters who’ve blocked out the sun, in turn drying out the water that once tied the archipelago to the mainland, Redfall is clearly far from the holiday resort it once was. And, as portrayed in several minutes of open world co-op gameplay footage, it all looks wonderful. 
Not just because of its stunning visuals and frenzied shootouts, but because the DNA that underpins Redfall appears smartly woven into everything it does. Developer Arkane Austin is the studio responsible for the acclaimed immersive sims Prey and Dishonored, two games which, while set in contained environments, offer players choice at every turn – and it seems the same applies here on an even grander scale. In the wake of Redfall’s latest gameplay footage, game director Harvey Smith said he hoped the trailer “put all the Left 4 Dead comparisons to rest”. For me, it didn’t. But that’s also irrelevant. Because the most important comparison here isn’t with Valve’s dormant horror series, but with Arkane’s own unique approach to immersive shooters.
Choices and co-op
EVERYTHING WE KNOW

(Image credit: Bethesda)

“Just the thought of fusing playstyles and bespoke character abilities with other human players, under pressure and in real time, excites me to no end”.

As much as it’s become cliche to say so, Redfall’s open world looks every bit as much a central character to its makeup as its gang of four players, each environment of which looks stunning. In horror terms, the cliches don’t end there either – the gameplay showcase explored fairgrounds at night, decrepit cinema halls, isolated woods, creepy mansions, and the aforementioned abandoned church, each one brimming with bloodthirsty baddies ripe for slaughter. 
As outlined in the first Redfall gameplay footage, the game can be enjoyed as a single-player game, much like Arkane’s previous outings to this point, but just the thought of fusing playstyles and bespoke character abilities with other human players, under pressure and in real time, excites me to no end. The thought of doing all of this in an open world inspired by Prey’s Talos 1 spacecraft or Dishonored’s Dunwall, underpinned by the core design tenets that have served Arkane so well over the last decade especially, and I reckon, for me, Redfall is a must-have already.   
Six years on since Dishonored 2, and we’re still hailing the genius, majesty and expert level design of its Clockwork Mansion. It’s been 10 years since the arrival of the first Dishonored, and Lady Boyle’s Last Party mission is surely among the best the immersive sim genre has ever given us. Apply those ingredients to an open world and add a splash of unpredictable humans into the mix, and who knows what conversations we’ll be having in Redfall’s wake when it lands next year. 
Redfall could be a contender for our best horror games and best action games lists alike! 

#Redfall #isnt #abandoning #spirit #Arkanes #unique #approach #immersive #shooters

Redfall isn’t abandoning the spirit of Arkane’s unique approach to immersive shooters

Redfall kicked off the Xbox and Bethesda Games E3 2022 showcase with a bang. The first Redfall gameplay opened with an abandoned church. Signs of a struggle. Blood spatter on the walls. A narrow attic space. And then, boom, a vampire ambush. One, then two, then three. Jump attacks with swiping claws follow, then ghastly moans and gunfire and frantic reload animations and running. Lots and lots of running. This place, the eponymous Redfall, an island town off the coast of Massachusetts, New England, is, in a word, screwed. Overrun with scores of angry neck-biters who’ve blocked out the sun, in turn drying out the water that once tied the archipelago to the mainland, Redfall is clearly far from the holiday resort it once was. And, as portrayed in several minutes of open world co-op gameplay footage, it all looks wonderful. 
Not just because of its stunning visuals and frenzied shootouts, but because the DNA that underpins Redfall appears smartly woven into everything it does. Developer Arkane Austin is the studio responsible for the acclaimed immersive sims Prey and Dishonored, two games which, while set in contained environments, offer players choice at every turn – and it seems the same applies here on an even grander scale. In the wake of Redfall’s latest gameplay footage, game director Harvey Smith said he hoped the trailer “put all the Left 4 Dead comparisons to rest”. For me, it didn’t. But that’s also irrelevant. Because the most important comparison here isn’t with Valve’s dormant horror series, but with Arkane’s own unique approach to immersive shooters.
Choices and co-op
EVERYTHING WE KNOW

(Image credit: Bethesda)

“Just the thought of fusing playstyles and bespoke character abilities with other human players, under pressure and in real time, excites me to no end”.

As much as it’s become cliche to say so, Redfall’s open world looks every bit as much a central character to its makeup as its gang of four players, each environment of which looks stunning. In horror terms, the cliches don’t end there either – the gameplay showcase explored fairgrounds at night, decrepit cinema halls, isolated woods, creepy mansions, and the aforementioned abandoned church, each one brimming with bloodthirsty baddies ripe for slaughter. 
As outlined in the first Redfall gameplay footage, the game can be enjoyed as a single-player game, much like Arkane’s previous outings to this point, but just the thought of fusing playstyles and bespoke character abilities with other human players, under pressure and in real time, excites me to no end. The thought of doing all of this in an open world inspired by Prey’s Talos 1 spacecraft or Dishonored’s Dunwall, underpinned by the core design tenets that have served Arkane so well over the last decade especially, and I reckon, for me, Redfall is a must-have already.   
Six years on since Dishonored 2, and we’re still hailing the genius, majesty and expert level design of its Clockwork Mansion. It’s been 10 years since the arrival of the first Dishonored, and Lady Boyle’s Last Party mission is surely among the best the immersive sim genre has ever given us. Apply those ingredients to an open world and add a splash of unpredictable humans into the mix, and who knows what conversations we’ll be having in Redfall’s wake when it lands next year. 
Redfall could be a contender for our best horror games and best action games lists alike! 

#Redfall #isnt #abandoning #spirit #Arkanes #unique #approach #immersive #shooters